Christmastime 2015

I'm way behind with this post, but I don't want to skip it because it was such a great Christmas season this year!

We all love Christmas Lights! (photo by Anna)

We kicked off the Christmastime fun with a trip to Austin to visit Scott and Anna in mid December. The first night we were there Scott and Anna told us about this awesome tree filled with Christmas lights right by their house. It's in the middle of a roundabout and no picture I could take did it justice. A lot of kids were playing tag under it. Jane loved watching the kids and looking at the lights.

Love how Jane is looking at Scott (photo by Anna)

Jane wasn't the only one who enjoyed the lights. We all thought it was pretty cool to be surrounded by this umbrella tree covered in lights.

Telling Scott how awesome it is! (photo by Anna)

Also, I would like to note that Jane is wearing a spaghetti strap dress in the middle of December. It was in the 70s most of the weekend.

She was in love and didn't want to leave.

The next day we took a trip to the State Capitol. It was Jane and my first time at the Capitol. Kind of funny that Jane's first time is when she's 1 1/2 and mine is when I'm 27 even though I've lived in Texas my whole life.

It's so big!!

It's a really beautiful building! They had this huge, real Christmas tree set up in the Senate Chamber. I took the opportunity to get a picture in front of it with Jane.

Jane is weaned but I can't seem to keep her hand out of my shirt...

That night we went to a coffee house called Mozarts that is known for their awesome light show that starts every hour. We headed there after dinner and we thought we had enough time to get there to catch the 7pm show but got caught in Longhorn basketball traffic because the game had just ended. We caught the very end of the show and saw just a couple of songs. Also, it was packed, so we didn't have a very good view.

Jane watching the show with Scott and Anna

We all decided to grab a table when everyone else left after the 7pm show and stay for the 8pm show. I figured it was ok to let Jane stay up past her bedtime for lights and music, two things she adores!

It was pretty cool.

I think we all enjoyed the light show, but more than that we enjoyed watching Jane enjoy the light show. As did a good majority of the strangers around us. She loved it!! She stood up and danced most of the time. Such a good time.

Again, in shorts and a tank top. The weather was great!

That concludes the Christmas festivities while we were in Austin. 

Jane loves the Christmas Tree! So do I. :)

I put up the Christmas Tree a few days before Thanksgiving because I want at least a full month of enjoyment out of the Tree. Jane did so well with the Christmas Tree! I put the tree in our office/guest room so I could close the door if it became a problem, but it never did. I told her that she could touch the ornaments if she was gentle and didn't pull and she obeyed for the most part. :) Her favorite ornament was a guitar ornament that sang "rocking around the christmas tree". She also loved the Star Wars cantina ornament we have that talks. She would point to the tree and say "pit-tee!" she hasn't really called anything else pretty since, I'm not sure why...

I love Christmas Lights!

Jane liked the outdoor lights a lot too. I had a couple of moving lights up and she liked them the most.

Colorful lights = she loves it

We went to my grandparents house on Christmas Eve for a small Christmas with just my grandparents, Jane, my mom and me. They gave Jane the lamp in the picture above. She loves that lamp! She will carry it around with her, press the button on top and dance around it to the music.

Christmas Eve Selfie!

Last year I took a selfie with Jane in front of the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve right before I put her to bed. I decided we should to do it again this year. I think we'll make a tradition out of it. :)

She's pretty excited about Christmas

Christmas morning we spent at home with just the three of us. (four, if you count Atlas!) I asked Jane if she was ready to open presents and she nodded her head emphatically and started rooting around the tree.

Where is that present I saw?

It was a really warm Christmas, almost 80 degrees all day. I didn't have anything that looked very Christmasy that she could wear that she wouldn't make her uncomfortably hot. So I put her in a pretty dress that she hadn't worn as much as I would like and she was about to outgrow.

She really loves the tree

I should have gotten a picture with all of us on Christmas morning, but all I got are pictures of Jane. When you have a child you sometimes forget to get pictures of anything else... oops. 

Jane found the corner to start tearing!

Jane also had all the presents but one. I had one present for Sam under the tree and Sam gave me my present early since it was a video game and I only have a limited amount of time to play it before I have a newborn again. :) Jane was excited for every present she opened. She spent a couple minutes playing with or looking at her gift after she opened it before moving on to the next one.

She's not spoiled she's loved. ;)

After we finished opening presents at our house we headed over to Kokoo and Akuya's (Sam's parents) house for Christmas lunch and more presents. I think they won biggest present for Jane. :) they gave her a toddler basketball hoop that she loves! When we go out to the back yard she will always ask for her basketball so she can shoot a few baskets from the porch chair.

Jane loved opening presents

Sandra and Charlie gave us an AMC gift card and offered to babysit Jane when we wanted to go to the movies. The perfect gift for us movie lovers! We took them up on the offer within the week so we could go see Star Wars. (which was awesome in my opinion) 

Oh hey look! I got a picture without Jane in it! ;)

After we opened presents Joseph and Sam went outside to fly the X-Wing that Joseph got for Christmas. Jane was fascinated with it. She kept explaining with her hands how it flew and fell and saying "Oh no!" when it would fall down.

Jane's "what happened?" look

We went back home after we visited some more so Jane could get a nap. (she doesn't nap well pretty much anywhere other than at home on our couch) 

Post Christmas Crash!

Jane fell asleep on the (5 minute) drive home and I took the opportunity to relax on the couch with her. A Christmas afternoon nap is something I could get used to. :) 

Jane loves to help cook

We finished off our Christmas celebrations with a New Years Day Daugherty Christmas at my parent's house. We like to do our Christmas on New Years (or whatever other day works for everyone around then) so we can all be together every year and not have to trade off years. We say Merry New Christmas Day! 

Jane is ready for her last round of presents!

Jane won for most presents at every Christmas this year. Which is not a surprise to anyone. She'll have to share her crown next year with Atlas, I'm sure. ;) 

I think Jane is a little jealous of Scott's big box. 

My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her the only things I could think of were either for Jane or for Atlas. She also knew if she gave me money that I wouldn't spend it on myself. (the life of a mom right?) Then I realized I would really like a few more maternity pants since I would be pregnant for all the cold months this time around. So my mom took me shopping and bought me some maternity clothes which was exactly what I needed and wanted. Now I don't feel like I'm wearing the same jeans every day. Thanks mom!

Hey another picture without Jane!

I got to decorate two trees this year! My parents said they would get a real tree if I decorated it for them. I was like "Of course!!" I love decorating Christmas trees.

Jane made sure to get every piece of paper off.

Jane loved taking everyone their presents and had a lot to say even though we couldn't understand most of it. 

Jammies!

Jane got the most excited about a present that had a bunch of jammies in it. Seriously, this kid loves her some pajamas. As soon as she opened it she asked to put one of them on. I usually have a rule that she can't put on her pajamas until she's done with dinner because otherwise she wouldn't wear anything else. I made an exception this time. :)

Chilin with Uncle Scott and Aunt Anna

Notice she has already changed pajamas. She asked to put another one of her Christmas jammies on within the hour. She stayed in these for the rest of the night though. I think she just wanted to match Aunt Anna. :)

Having fun with Great Papa

Man, Christmas with kids is so much fun! I love seeing the joy in her face. Jane seemed to really enjoy everything about Christmas, the lights, the presents and the family.

Don't worry, we were careful

We polished off the night with sparklers, salami, smokies and s'mores! It was a much colder day than Christmas day. Just the right temperature to enjoy a toasting marshmallows around the fire pit.

Yay warmth!

We took turns being on "Jane Duty" while we were around the fire. At least one person was in charge of making sure Jane didn't get too close to the fire anytime we were outside. Such a great holiday season this year. So many great times with family. It was a very busy holiday season too. In a way it's good to be back to normal now that the holidays are over. I love them when they are here, but I'm also happy when it's all over. :) It's all about enjoying the present isn't it?

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven;

Baby #2 Weeks 25-31

He has a name!! Sam and I finally decided on a name for our baby boy. Wait for it......... Atlas Gabriel Daniels.

I had a little fun with Jane's alphabet blocks. :)

Both names are two of Sam's favorite names. Even though the name was mostly Sam's choice, I love it too. Atlas means "to endure" or "to support" and Gabriel means "God is my strength" or "Hero of God". One of the reasons I love it is because to me, it means when he has to endure the weight of this fallen world he'll know he can have the strength to endure it with God. When Sam first mentioned the name Atlas I said I needed to think about it, but it wasn't because I didn't like the name, I just had to get used to thinking of it as a name. As time went on, for some reason, no other name seemed right for our boy other than Atlas. His kicks have been so strong, I felt that he needed a strong name. Atlas Gabriel is just perfect. The more I say it the more I love it.

26 weeks!

Having a name makes it seem all the more real that I'm having a little boy in just 2 months! It's still feeling like he's coming so fast. Jane is keeping me busy and distracted, so that when I think about Atlas coming I think, "Wait, what do you mean there's only 9 weeks until his due date?? When did that happen?" I'm starting to feel the need to nest! I finally made a decision and bought Jane's new car seat so that Atlas can have Jane's old car seat.

Bah! I'm going to have 2 kids! Jane loves her new car seat.

With the addition of the new car seat, we're basically ready for Atlas to be here. I don't need anything else! Second babies are awesome! :D There are a few more things I "want" to have before he comes, but if I don't end up getting around to it until after he comes it's no big deal. (I guess I need to buy some newborn diapers, but I'll grab those from the store sometime soon.)

Now that I have all the items I need, my focus has turned towards getting my "birth plan" together. I don't really believe in a detailed or specific birth plan because I think it can be distracting or disappointing while in labor, but I do think it's wise to have an idea of how you would like things to go. Part of my birth plan is having a great support team. First off, I have my midwife that I'm very comfortable and confident in. Then there's my mom who will be my main birth support. She was wonderful while I was in labor with Jane and I have no doubt she will be just as stellar this time. If anything, I think she will be more relaxed since we've done it once before. :) My mother-in-law finishes off my team as my "whatever else is needed" helper and photographer.

30 Weeks!

It's important to me not to have anyone in the house who is just "waiting" on me. It stresses me out to know if someone is just waiting around for the baby to come. I'm also going way old school and having a women only birth. No men allowed! ;) Sam is taking care of Jane this time around. When Sam and I were talking about him being around for this birth he said he's done it once and he doesn't need to do it again. I have no problem with that. He will be taking care of Jane while I'm in labor and he and Jane will come back to the house once Atlas is born. I know a lot of women would require their husbands to be present for the birth, but I'm pretty positive it will put my mind at ease to know that Jane is being taken care of by Sam and also that he isn't being stressed out by my labor. Last time it was hard for me to see Sam so worried about me. So I think it's for the best.

My very basic birth plan is to do whatever will naturally reduce my labor pains and help me endure the contractions in order to have Atlas at home without any pain medication. I hope to labor in the water at some point because I felt the best in my labor with Jane when I was in the water. I bought a $30 kiddie pool on Amazon to use as my birth pool. I tried it out with Jane this past summer to make sure it will work as a birth pool and I think it will be great! I'll probably try out my shower as a pain reliever as well. I would like to have Pride and Prejudice or some other Jane Austen movie playing on my TV throughout labor and I'll probably try to have some peace and calming essential oil diffusing as well.

One thing I know for sure is that I have no idea how this labor is going to go so I'm just going to roll with it and try any suggestion that my midwife has to help my labor progress and help with the pain. I'll be leaning on God for strength and endurance just like last time and trying to pray through it.

I hope you will join with me in prayer for a smooth and uncomplicated labor and above all, a healthy and safe birth for both Atlas and me.

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, 

with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 28:6-7

Blessed be the Lord

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

Thanksgiving 2015

Since it's only a week until Christmas, I figured if I didn't do this blog post now I wouldn't do it at all. It was a pretty busy Thanksgiving for us! Sam's parents retired from being missionaries this year after 14 years of reaching the unreached in Kenya and Tanzania, Africa. With them finally home for the holidays, we headed up to Dallas/Arlington to spend Thanksgiving with Sandra's side of the family.

Baby pigtails are the cutest!!

It was a short trip. We left on Wednesday around 1:30pm when Sam got home after working a half-day. I've never really traveled for a holiday before because my family gatherings around the holidays were only an hour drive away.  Man, did we hit some holiday traffic! It took us 5 hours to get up to Arlington. We stopped a couple times to walk around and use the bathroom. My midwife had advised me to get out and walk around as much as I could to avoid the possibility of blood clots. I also wore compression socks and moved my legs around or propped them up when I could in the car.

My little model

Jane did pretty well on the way up there. She only took a 45 min nap in the car which made things a little more difficult. I was hoping for her to sleep at least an hour and a half like she normally does. I think she was too excited to be going on a trip to sleep long! She made it 3 hours really well. (a trip she is used to, since we've visited Uncle Scott and Aunt Anna a few times in Austin) The last hour was kinda rough, but still not too bad and we made it!

Jane was cleaning the leaves out of the cinder blocks.

We arrived at Uncle Mike's house around 6:30pm to a wonderful lasagna dinner cooked by Sandra. We enjoyed chatting with family before heading to bed. Jane did so well sleeping in her pack & play. She is such a good traveler and will sleep through the night pretty much any where we go.

Jane loved all the fence art!

We had Thanksgiving dinner around 1pm and everyone brought something wonderful to eat and it was all homemade! Everyone in the Westbrook family can cook. Jane enjoyed the mac & cheese the most, I think I did too. ;) I didn't get a picture of all the food, I was too busy eating it.

Relaxing with dad.

Jane has always been really friendly and loves people, but I don't think she's ever been around so many people in that small a place before. She kept retreating to the rooms with no one in them. My little social butterfly might have a little introvert in her yet. It might have just been she was ready for a nap and couldn't find a quiet place.

Jane and Akuya

After visiting with family for a couple hours we packed up and headed back home. It was wonderful to get to see family we hadn't gotten to see in a couple years and I got to meet a few family members I never had before.

Jane meeting her great-grandpa for the first time.

Jane was definitely ready for a nap when we left she fell asleep about 5 minutes after we started home and didn't wake up again for 2 hours. It made the trip home really relaxing. We also didn't hit any traffic so we made it home in 4 hours. Here's a few more pictures of our trip.

Jane and Holden watching Finding Nemo together.

It was her first experience with an iPad.

Is it a phone?? Can I talk to Nemo?

All playing together!

The only thing about being in Dallas for Thanksgiving is that I missed Thanksgiving at my parents house for the first time. It made me a little sad, but don't get me wrong I'm glad we went to Dallas. I just wish I could have done both! I love family! I was able to get home in time to go to my grandparent's house for Thanksgiving on Friday, which made me very happy. :) They live just an hour away.

Will you let me pet you??

My grandparents have 3 Maltese and Jane loves dogs! She really enjoyed getting to be with Buttons, Beau and Bandit. I would love to get Jane a dog, but with a toddler, one on the way and working part time from home, I don't think I could handle training a puppy right now. One day!

Peekaboo!

I'm so glad I don't have stairs in my house. I know I would put up gates, but Jane would be asking to climb the stairs all day! She loves to climb. I'd rather take her to the park or to someone else's house with stairs. ;)

Whee!!

I love getting to watch Jane with the family that love her! It makes my heart happy. It also gives me a little break from playing and I just get to sit back and enjoy.

Tickles!

We enjoyed another yummy Thanksgiving meal. I love Thanksgiving food! Mac & Cheese was Jane's favorite yet again. 

Love my girl. (and my boy you can't see yet)

After we finished eating, I asked if anyone would like to go for a walk to burn off a little bit of the delicious food we just ate. We got a pretty good group together to go. Jane loved watching the dogs walk in front of her.

I always enjoy a good walk.

We walked to the park not to far away and played for a little while before walking back.

There she goes!

One of my old favorites at the park

Jane loves just about everything at the park

Once we got back, I asked if anyone wanted to watch the ultrasound video that I brought of baby boy. My grandparents really enjoyed getting to see it. They hadn't gotten to see an ultrasound in 4D before. We visited for a while longer and headed home. Such a great few days with family. I loved it. Just a few more pictures of our Thanksgiving.

Playing with Pappaw

Hangin out with Marmee, Great Papa and Buttons

Hello??

We're ready for Christmas!

Jane in the same chair 1 year ago

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;

 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.